XABI ALONSO: Differences between Mourinho and Guardiola

Rarely has a player settled so quickly and seamlessly into a world-class team as Xabi Alonso has at Bayern. But how is the Spaniard finding life in Munich, and what does he still want to achieve after European glory with Liverpool and Real Madrid? Roland Zorn of FIFA WEEKLY sat down with him for an exclusive interview.

Xabi Alonso, having now spent seven months with Bayern Munich, do you speak German yet?

Xabi Alonso: A little, but I can’t understand the language particularly well so far. I’m having three hours of language lessons a week though, so it’s getting easier all the time. By next year I’d like to be able to give interviews in German too.

That says a lot about your constant readiness to learn and your curiosity for other clubs and countries. Why did you decide to go to Germany for another adventure after five years with Liverpool and five years with Real Madrid?

After beating our city rivals Atletico in the Champions League final last year, it seemed like the time had come to do something different again. We had managed to win la décima, Madrid’s long-awaited tenth victory in Europe’s greatest club competition, a contest that has captivated the fans since the European Cup days. I thought the time was right to try something new with one of the world’s best teams and in one of the best three leagues in Europe. And I was grateful to Real for letting me go even though I had a contract that was due to run until 2016.

Was Bayern coach Pep Guardiola, who won the Champions League twice with Real’s great Spanish rivals Barcelona, one of the key reasons why you chose to begin a new chapter of your outstanding football career in Munich?

There were many good reasons to move to Bayern, and Pep Guardiola was definitely one of them.

How did it feel to arrive at Sabener Strasse and begin training with the squad?

I immediately realised how Guardiola’s unique intensity has enabled him to achieve so much in his relatively short career so far. To be able to learn even more about football under his guidance is incredibly motivating and offers a great challenge. He’s a rigorous thinker and worker, very analytical, a great tactician and a methodical innovator. Pep understands everything about the game. He doesn’t force his way of thinking on us players; instead he convinces us about his ideas. If you can manage that as a coach, you know your players will push themselves even further and fight even harder for the team’s shared goals.

If all goes well for Bayern, you could win the treble by the end of the season: the Bundesliga, German Cup and UEFA Champions League. Does the idea of becoming the second player after Clarence Seedorf to win European football’s biggest trophy with three different clubs give you added incentive?

That would be fantastic, but my first priority is to go about my job one week at a time and contribute to the collective success of the team in whatever way I can.

How have you settled in, both at Bayern and in Munich?

Very well. Just like at Liverpool and with Real, I managed to slot into the team quickly. I had the luck and pleasure of arriving in Munich on 29 August 2014 and being in the starting line-up for the club’s 1-1 draw away to Schalke the very next day. I immediately felt at home out on the pitch when I realised that I trusted my new team-mates. That feeling is very important for a player who sees as much of the ball as I do

And how is life in Munich for you, your wife and three children?

It’s easy. The city is beautiful, the people are friendly, and although the club is the biggest in Germany, there’s a great family feel about it. It’s wonderful to see how close the fans are able to get at training. I didn’t experience anything quite like that in either Liverpool or Madrid.

Bayern gives the impression of being a perfectly organised club where everything is thought through and organised down to the very last detail. Did that surprise you?

Not really. Everything is set up so well, just like you imagine Germany to be as an outsider.

Your hometown club and the place where you began your professional career, Real Sociedad, is synonymous with tradition, while Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are all representative of footballing heritage, greatness and success. Is the fact that you have only ever played for teams with such proud histories a matter of coincidence or a consequence of your quality as a player?

I’d describe it as a huge stroke of luck to have been able to play for such special clubs throughout my career. Liverpool, Real and Bayern are definitely part of the sport’s aristocracy. I feel extremely privileged, even though the kind of football I play is a little more ‘working-class’.

Your football expertise has been nurtured by some of the sport’s best coaches: Rafael Benitez, Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, Pep Guardiola, Luis Aragones and Vicente del Bosque. Could you wish for anything better in this respect?

Of course it would be fantastic to come out on top in the Champions League once again with Bayern and Guardiola, who also has the opportunity to win Europe’s biggest club trophy again. It’s particularly appealing given that I have the most amazing memories from the “Miracle of Istanbul”, where Benitez led our Liverpool side back from a 3-0 deficit at half-time to 3-3 after 90 minutes, then guided us through extra time all the way to penalties, which we ended up winning 3-2. I was also delighted with Ancelotti’s masterstroke a year ago, when we won the Madrid derby against Atletico in the Champions League final after extra time. Unfortunately I was suspended for that match after picking up my third yellow card of the campaign in Real’s 4-0 second leg win over Munich. Nevertheless, I still played my part in what, for the time being, is the most recent major success I’ve been able to celebrate in my career.

So what made each of your four title-winning coaches unique?

Benitez was very analytical and had a plan for every match. Mourinho was tactically shrewd and a great motivator. Ancelotti, like Aragones and del Bosque, was someone who has a very approachable and human way of steering teams toward success. As I’ve already mentioned, Guardiola is unbelievable. We’ve mastered at least three different formations under his guidance.

Given that you know Europe’s three biggest leagues from the inside, can you tell us a little about the differences between your three clubs and between the Premier League, Primera Division and Bundesliga from your own experience?

I’ve got a very balanced view, as you can’t talk about pros and cons when it comes to three such strong leagues.